Sarah

Sarah didn’t come into our fold of friends until High School. In fact, I was the one who incorporated her into the group.

Sarah and I lived up the street from one another in our small town. I don’t remember how it came about that I went to her house after school one day, but I did. I do remember that we sat on her bed and laughed and planned future sleep overs. I started inviting her to hang out with the rest of the Herd and quite quickly and easily she became a part of the group. Sarah still always maintained her friends outside the circle. She was always the friend to those who didn’t have any, or those who got teased. In tenth grade she fought with our principal for the right to hand out condoms in school and she was always up for a good cause. Today, she’s a social worker helping troubled kids.

Sarah’s family had a house in Cape Cod. From the time that the first of our group turned 16 and could drive and all through high school we started spending every fourth of July in West Dennis. Sometimes her family was there, sometimes it was just us and when they eventually sold their place we carried on our summer getaway tradition by renting small motel rooms. We’d cram five of us in a room with a couple cartons of cigarettes, some pilfered liquor and go on the hunt for boys (sluts!) One year we went over to the old family house, just to see who was occupying it and ended up partying with a houseful of strangers, walking around and slurring “heyyyyy a-member when we slept in thish rooom?! heyyy it’sh sooo funny other people are in thish houusse!”

After high school I didn’t see Sarah much and we didn’t really keep in touch. I’m not sure why, there was no real reason or falling out. We just grew up and went about our lives. I always held close to Erin, Kate and Amy but somehow Sarah slipped away from me. Sarah and Kate grew much closer, particularly since they ended up living so close together once we graduated from college. I, of course, moved away to California.

When news spread that my life was going through a complete overhaul and I was moving into my own place Sarah was the one who started reserving airfare to come visit. I had planned on seeing Kate and Erin, but apparently Sarah called Kate and said “I found some cheap airfare. I’m booking tickets now. Call Amy F. and tell her we’re all coming to visit.”

The thing about true friendships, you can’t force them. But when you’ve got them, nothing can ruin them. Not distance nor time nor a fight. With a real friend, eventually you find each other again. I don’t have a whole slew of close friends, but the ones that I’ve got are the best, truest friends you could ever ask for. I love each one of them without judgment and for different reasons. At some point we’ve all driven each other crazy as well. There are times when we go months without talking but in the end I know we’ll always find each other at the right time, grab a cup of coffee, sit on the front porch and pick up our old conversations without missing a beat.

STAY CONNECTED

AMYELLA

Amyella (pronounced Amy-ella) is a pseudonym for Amy Levitt, a fitness and health food fanatic and a beach girl at heart. She has been sharing her sometimes nonsensical thoughts and self-amusing stories online since 2002 and currently spends a good deal of her time wrangling her 90 pound Rottweiler and 60 pound Boxer. Which is quite a show.The origin of the name Amyella.